Doubt Is Her Undoing
by SakuraRyuu28
Summary: Rin is given a reason to doubt her place with Sesshomaru.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Chapter 1

Author: SakuraRyuu

Rating: K

Genre: Canon, Angst, Comfort, Family, Friendship, Suspense

Characters: Ah-Un, Jaken, Rin, Sesshomaru

Author's Note: Inuyasha and all characters in this fan fiction are the property of Rumiko Takahashi.

Rin scampered through the field of flowers, humming to herself as she carefully selected the prettiest ones. Lord Sessoumaru had left her in Ah-Un's care while he and Jaken went to deal with a lesser demon not far off to the east. He had left her near a stream so she and the dragon would have access to food and water should they need it. While awaiting their return, she decided to pick her Lord a bouquet of spring flowers, her favorite. Her caretaker dozed under a sakura tree nearby, covered in the falling blossoms. Before setting out to gather her Lord's bouquet, she created a lovely flower crown for Ah's head and a flower necklace for Uhn's neck. She had made a game of tossing them to land just right. Ah's crown had landed lopsided over one of his ears and Un's necklace had landed to circle his head perfectly. It made her giggle at how silly her giant, green friend looked covered in wreaths and pink flowers.

So engrossed in her picking and humming, Rin didn't notice the young boy who had wandered into the field. He had been a short distance downstream, fishing, when he heard her voice. He knew there was a clearing not far from where he was and decided to check there first, finding a girl and a dragon nearby. The thought of being roasted alive and eaten kept him from venturing into the clearing. He decided to stay along the edge, walking around the field to put as much distance between him and the sleeping beast as possible. When he got close enough to Rin but far away from Ah-Un, he called out to her.

"Hey, you, girl! What are you doing out here alone? Don't you realize there's a dragon on the other side of this field? He could wake at any moment and eat you!" the boy exclaimed.

Rin looked up, startled. She gasped audibly at the sight of the boy, almost dropping her flowers onto her feet. She had no idea he had managed to sneak up on her. When she took a better look at him, she calmed. He was a young boy, not much older than she was. He had a patch over his left eye and seemed to be alone. Holding no fear, Rin boldly spoke back to him.

"Oh, that's Ah-Un. We travel together with Lord Sesshomaru and Jaken. He won't eat me or you. He likes fish mostly. And naps." Rin informed the boy.

"Lord Sesshomaru? Isn't he the demon Lord of the Western Lands? I've been told Lord Sesshomaru is a ruthless demon, killing anyone who dares question him or stand in his way. Why would he allow a human to travel with him?" The boy was curious about such a dangerous situation.

Giggling, Rin replied, "I don't know why." Shrugging, she continued. "Maybe he likes me. He did save my life."

"You expect me to believe he saved you?" the boy asked, incredulously. "Demons hate humans. They go out of their way to kill us. See this eye?" the boy asked, signaling his patch covered eye. "I lost it when my brother and I were attacked by a boar demon. I only lost an eye but my brother was killed. You're crazy if you think this Sesshomaru likes having you around. He's probably saving you until you're plump enough to eat." The boy stated matter of factly.

The very thought of what he was saying made Rin laugh. Her Lord eating her?! The idea was simply funny. She had never known Lord Sesshomaru, Jaken or Ah-Un to eat anything but animals they had hunted in the forest. They never bothered with humans or the villages. The only time her Lord confronted anyone was when they were aggressive towards him first or did not respect the Western Lands, and he made sure she was hidden safely away from any danger. She had never seen her Lord take a human life in all her time traveling with him and had certainly never heard of him acting dishonorably. She also knew he would not allow Jaken to disgrace him by acting foolish, either. And Ah-Un? How could anyone think a sleeping dragon covered in pink sakura blossoms could be dangerous?

"I don't believe you," Rin stated emphatically, regally raising her head. "Lord Sesshomaru would never hurt me!"

Rin's protesting awakened Ah-Un, who stood, shook off his pink blanket and ambled his way over to her, his wreaths falling into place. The boy, seeing the dragon come to his feet and head in their direction, turned around and ran into the woods. As Ah-Un stepped up beside her, Rin rubbed him on one of his heads, her flowers in her hand forgotten as she looked after the running boy, thinking on what he had said.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Chapter 2

Author: SakuraRyuu

Rating: K

Genre: Canon, Angst, Comfort, Family, Friendship, Suspense

Characters: Ah-Un, Jaken, Rin, Sesshomaru

Author's Note: Inuyasha and all characters in this fan fiction are the property of Rumiko Takahashi.

Rin found herself alone for the rest of the afternoon with only Ah-Un for company. What the boy had said earlier made her doubt Lord Sesshomaru's intentions for her. She had never given such things any thought before, simply taking it for granted that, in his own way, her Lord liked having her around. He certainly didn't turn her away or leave her behind unless he had some errand that needed his attention and was too dangerous for her. This made her think even harder. What did her Lord do when she wasn't with him? True he always left her with a companion for protection when he wasn't there, but he always left with no explanation. Was he backtracking to villages they had passed to eat villagers? Whenever she offered him something to eat he always responded that he didn't eat human food. Maybe it was because he ate humans for food instead? With no one else to talk to she turned to her companion, who had plopped back down under his sakura tree, watching her lazily.

"What do you think, Ah-Un?" Rin asked the dragon. He simply looked at her. "Does Lord Sesshomaru go to villages and eat people? I've never seen him eat anything and I've certainly never heard of him eating a human. I don't think a human would taste very good." Ah-Un grumbled at her, causing Rin to jump to her feet and turn around in time to see her Lord stride into the clearing. As he approached her she smiled, holding out the bouquet she picked for him. Lord Sesshomaru looked at the flowers then at Rin.

"Rin, I trust you fared well?" he asked the girl.

"Yes, my lord!" Rin piped up enthusiastically.

Lord Sesshomaru turned and walked away to settle beneath a tree, never acknowledging the flowers Rin had picked for him. Usually this would not bother her, but after her talk with the boy she began to wonder if maybe he was right. Was her Lord waiting till she was plump enough to eat? She looked over herself, noting she wasn't very plump at all. This relieved her because, she reasoned, if she wasn't plump her Lord had no reason to eat her. This thought made her feel much better and she dismissed the idea he would be interested in eating her. Rin further decided whatever her Lord did when she wasn't in his presence was none of her concern, otherwise, he would tell her where he was and what he did. And he rarely came back injured so she was sure whatever it was wasn't dangerous.

With that settled, Rin's mind wandered further. She began to question Lord Sesshomaru's indifference to the flowers she had picked for him. She was beginning to wish she had never met the boy or had that conversation that was making her fret in ways she never had before. She began thinking of all the things she did for him that he ignored or barely acknowledged. The bouquet of flowers she had picked that day, the food she always offered him, asking him if there was anything he needed or she could do for him, all these offerings were met with a glance, a cocked eyebrow, or a curt response. True he almost never showed emotion to anyone, however, she was beginning to feel it possible her Lord did not care for her. Sudden movement caught her eye and she noticed him rising from his resting spot.

"Jaken, stay here with Rin and Ah-Un" Lord Sesshomaru called, knowing Jaken could hear him.

"Where are you going, my Lord?" Jaken cried, scampering out from behind the tree Lord Sesshomaru had been resting against. The little, green imp was almost panicking that he was being left behind. His question received no response as his Lord disappeared into the lush foliage.

Rin waited, watching Jaken grumble at being in charge of the whelp yet again and complaining he was not a babysitter. She giggled under her breath, always amused by his gruff nature.

"Jaken," Rin called to him pleasantly from beside Ah-Un. "Why do you think Lord Sesshomaru allows me to follow him? Do you think he likes me?"

"Bothersome child!" Jaken grumbled at Rin, not caring how he sounded to her. "We are not to question my Lord's intentions! He does as he pleases, not explaining himself to anyone! We should feel honored just to be in his presence!"

"I know, Master Jaken!" Rin replied. "But do you think my Lord likes me?"

"Why would he?" Jaken replied harshly. "You are a weak and useless human child! You are a nuisance with all your endless singing and chattering. Your constant need to rest and eat slows us down. You are a burden to my Lord! I don't know why Lord Sesshomaru puts up with such a mortal!"

"I'm sure my Lord would tell me if I were any of those things." Rin protested. Then, as if second guessing herself, she mumbles, "He would, wouldn't he?"

Jaken folds his arms and glares at the girl. "Of course he wouldn't! Why would he waste his breath to explain something that should be so obvious?"

As Rin thinks on what Jaken had told her an uneasiness settled over her. What he said made sense and the thought of being unwanted by her Lord simply broke her heart. Hoping against hope that someone wanted her, she turned to Jaken with one last question.

"Well, at least you like me, don't you, Master Jaken?" she asked him, her voice trembling.

Not paying any attention to Rin's upset; Jaken leaned back on Ah-Un and replied with a gruff, "Humph" before completely disregarding the girl.

A moment passed as Rin took in everything Jaken had said to her. She was more upset now than she was after she had talked with the boy. Looking at the imp she made a decision.

"If no one likes me being here then I'm leaving!" Rin cried pitifully.

Jaken looked at the girl in surprise. "Wha…?! No, Rin!"

"You're mean, Master Jaken!" Rin yelled, tearing up and running aimlessly into the forest.

"Now I've done it! Lord Sesshomaru will skin me alive if that child isn't here when he returns!"

"Rin! Come back! Rin!" Jaken called after the child as she disappeared into the forest. Ah-Un looked at him and the imp almost swore he saw pity in the dragon's eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Chapter 3

Author: SakuraRyuu

Rating: K

Genre: Canon, Angst, Comfort, Family, Friendship, Suspense

Characters: Ah-Un, Jaken, Rin, Sesshomaru

Author's Note: Inuyasha and all characters in this fan fiction are the property of Rumiko Takahashi.

Upset about the things Jaken said, Rin turned and ran, not caring what direction she was headed in. When she could no longer control her crying she slowed to a walk, then stopped to rest against a tree, letting her tears flow. Exhausted after such an emotional afternoon, she lay down on the soft patch of grass under the tree for a quick rest, having no intention of falling asleep but doing so anyway. In her terrible and sad dream, Jaken laughed heartily as Lord Sesshomaru cast her out. He simply said, "Go, Rin," and pointed away from him. She pleaded with her Lord to not dismiss her but he stood firm in his command. She felt her heartache as she turned, glancing over her shoulder at him, then slowly walked away.

Waking suddenly, Rin clutched her chest, gasping for breath. She couldn't understand why her Lord would cast her out. She thought he enjoyed her company but if her dream was any indication, that wasn't the case. Drawing her knees to her small chest and wrapping her arms around them, the doubt in her mind told her running away was for the best. It was better for her to leave on her own than to force her Lord to dismiss her. After losing her family, the simple act of him turning her away would break her human heart.

She glanced down at the flowers lying by her side from that afternoon and picked them up, fingering the petals. She remembered her father and how he would show his appreciate for the handful of picked beauty she brought him, hugging and kissing her as if she had given him the best gift in the world. Rin certainly didn't receive that type of affection from her Lord, but in his own way, she thought, maybe he did appreciate the gestures she offered him.

She had been lost in her thoughts for so long that it stunned her to realize the sun was almost set and darkness was moving in. Rin moved to stand, gathering her scattered flowers, when she noticed it: dead quiet. She had sat lamenting the loss of her Lord for so long she hadn't realized how quiet the forest had gotten. It seemed she was the only thing in the entire area making any type of sound, which was quite unusual. There were usually frogs and crickets singing but now, as she strained to hear any of the comforting night noises, the only thing she heard was a strange dragging sound. She thought the sound was curious, but she kept pressing on in an attempt to put more distance between herself and her traveling companions. The further she walked, the louder the dragging noise became and it only seemed to move when she did. In the distance, she saw what she thought was a road but it was getting hard to tell with the light fading, so she walked faster in that direction. Suddenly, Rin found herself flying toward some scratchy looking bushes, the air was knocked out of her and scattering her precious bouquet. Landing, her kimono was torn by the branches in the brush and her skin scratched. She settled on the ground with a thud, struggling to regain her breath. As she rolled over and tried to stand she fell back to the ground, pain shooting from her ankle. Sitting up, she saw what hit her: the biggest snake demon she had ever seen.

Its giant head bobbing, the snake demon hissed at poor Rin,

"What have we here? I do believe it'sss sssuper time."

As it lunged for her, a scream tore from her throat and she held her arm up over her eyes as if to hide from her attacker, but the expected deathblow never came. Lowering her arm to peak out at the snake demon she saw he was no longer looming before her. Instead, it was falling gracefully to the ground, wounds around its neck seeping green foam. That could only mean one thing to the young girl.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin called excitedly, happy to see her Lord once again. Trying to stand again, she hissed in pain. Before she could fall again, Sesshomaru was carrying the small girl in his arm.

"I am sorry to be a burden, my Lord," Rin begins, her voice sounding sad. Even though he had just saved her, she was still worried what Jaken said may be true. If it were, she wasn't so sure returning back to camp with her Lord was such a good idea.

Sesshomaru watched his ward, frowning slightly at her choice of words and tone in her voice. As she stared at him with a confused look on her face, he decided to inquire about what led Rin to this point.

"Rin, explain yourself."

"You see, my Lord, Rin ran into a boy in the meadow today..." And Rin began her tale. She told him how she had been picking flowers for him when the boy wandered in to the meadow and told her her Lord was probably waiting to eat her once she had gotten plump. She further explained how she decided her Lord would not eat her because she was too thin, but she began to wonder if maybe he was going back to villages to eat people there because he never ate the food she offered him. She quickly decided that wasn't the case both because her Lord would never act dishonorably and he rarely came back with a mark on him. Rin then told him of her conversation with Jaken and how his words made her feel badly enough to run away. Rin looked up at her Lord, eyes big and round, and asked, "Am I a burden to you, my Lord? Is it like the boy or Jaken said?"

Sesshomaru looked down at the small girl he was holding and said simply, "No, Rin."

"After all I had heard today, I was afraid you didn't want me with you anymore and I would lose you like I did my family."

Sesshomaru remained silent as they returned to camp. A short walk later, Rin found herself back in the meadow she had run from earlier in the day. Turning her attention from Sesshomaru, she noticed Jaken jumping around his legs begging to be forgiven for losing her and Ah-Un bellowed, happy to see his small human again. Placing her gently on the ground, Sesshomaru looked down at his vassal, who immediately began apologizing for his lack of good sense when speaking with the girl. Barking an order to the green toad demon to gather water and bandages to dress Rin's wounds, he turned his attention back to the girl.

"If it pleases you, you may stay with this Sesshomaru."

"Yes, my Lord!" Rin exclaimed happily, then her expression changed and Sesshomaru became curious.

"What is it, Rin?"

"Lord Sesshomaru, would you ever eat me?"

"This Sesshomaru does not eat humans." He stated simply.

"Yes, my Lord!"

With that, the discussion was over and Rin was back where she belonged.


End file.
